


Two Are Better Than One

by Anonymous



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe, Angst, Caregivers are known, Classifications, Cute, Daddy Kink, Domestic Fluff, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Little Space, Littles Are Known, M/M, Neautrals, No Sex, No Smut, Non-Sexual Age Play, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but not really, little!wooyoung, little!yeosang
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24489601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: “Hongjoong, I can’t go because it’s just so hard going to the Little’s Center. It’s so hard going and seeing everyone’s happy faces. Seeing all the adorable Littles and knowing you can’t take one home to care. It’s so hard going once a month and becoming fond of a little and coming back a month later to see them gone because they were adopted. It’s so hard, Joong! I can’t go.” Seonghwa looked down when tears fell down his flushed face.orIn a world where you are classified as a Caregiver, Neautral, or Little, all Seonghwa wishes for is to have a Little of his own. What happens when the world decides that two are better one?
Relationships: All platonic relationships, Choi Jongho/Jung Wooyoung, Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Choi San/Kang Yeosang, Jeong Yunho/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Kang Yeosang, Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang, Jung Wooyoung/Kim Hongjoong, Jung Wooyoung/Park Seonghwa, Jung Wooyoung/Song Mingi, Kang Yeosang/Kim Hongjoong, Kang Yeosang/Park Seonghwa, Kang Yeosang/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 53
Kudos: 333
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back with another Age Regression story! I am the same author that writes, 8 Makes 1 Family, and while I was writing that story, this one came to mind! This story will be an Alternative Universe where Littles are known. I hope you enjoy it and please let me know your thoughts. Thank you!
> 
> Trigger warning for this chapter, there are some descriptions of violence.

Wooyoung was so scared. Sweat trickled at the side of his face, his heart beat loud from the adrenaline, and his feet ached. He was so so so tired of running.

“Wooyoung! Hurry up!  _ Please! _ ” Yeosang begged from where he ran behind him. His friend (or his brother as Wooyoung viewed him) was breathing harshly too. His face was dirty and his old black sweatshirt was outstretched and ripped in some places. Beads of sweat also rolled down his face as he ran behind Wooyoung. Yeosang was scared too.

“GET BACK HERE YOU STUPID KIDS!” The man chasing them yelled. He was a big buff man that seemed like he could run for miles and he would still have leftover energy.

The man was the owner of the restaurant Yeosang occasionally sneaked into to get them food. He would go in through the back door and sneak into the restuarant’s pantry when they were really desperate. It wasn’t an action the two were rather proud about, but they had to do it as a last resort. When Yeosang had tried going in this time, the man had caught him red handed and based on the rage of his words, he had been searching for them for a while now. Wooyoung wanted to cry. They didn’t mean to steal. They weren’t bad people, they were just  _ hungry. _

Wooyoung, being too caught up of his stupid emotions, did the worst thing he could do. 

He tripped.

Wooyoung winced when his body collided with the cement of the alleyway’s floors. His chin scraped the floor and his left hand didn’t land right underneath him. The pain worsened when Yeosang’s entire weight landed over him. 

“You little shits think you can just go around stealing? Do you think my restaurant is  _ free?! _ ”

Wooyoung’s blood ran cold when he realized the voice was nearer than ever. He was standing right over them. Suddenly, Yeosang was roughly snatched away from him. Wooyoung gasped and quickly sat up despite the pain. Wide-eyed, he watched the buff man pull Yeosang up from the floor by the front of his sweatshirt, and then, he punched the boy across his face. Wooyoung screamed.

“No! LET GO OF HIM!” Wooyoung’s eyes were enraged. Before he realized what he was doing, he stood up and kicked the man’s side with all his strength. The man stumbled back from the force before Wooyoung grabbed a hold of the man's shirt and punched him with his good hand. He may be weak, he may be starving, and he may look like death but he will  _ not _ let anyone punch Yeosang.

Unfortunately, he didn’t think this through. Wooyoung’s one second of power soon deflated and his eyes became fearful again. He watched as the man slowly looked up and glared at him with a look that could pierce right through him. Before he knew it, the man grabbed his neck and forcefully pushed him, his back collided with the brick wall. 

The man began to choke him.

Wooyoung was sure this was the end of him. He could just feel his lips turn blue and his lungs beg for air. With each torturing second, he began to feel his body beginning to shut down too. His brain became too cloudy, his legs became too weak. It suddenly hit Wooyoung what those faint (almost ancient) feelings meant.  _ No. No. No. Please don’t make me slip. Please not now,  _ Wooyoung pleaded to Mother Nature. Not when he was already in a vulnerable state. Wooyoung felt a lump beginning to form down his throat and the gears in his head begin to turn slower. Feeling his lungs ready to collapse, Wooyoung closed his eyes in utter defeatment. This was it. 

But, right as he accepted his fate, Wooyoung was suddenly dropped to the floor.

Wooyoung’s body hit the cement floor. He violently coughed as he gasped for air. The world spun around him and everything hurt, but Wooyoung couldn’t find himself to care because he was still _ alive. _

What happened? Why did the man let him go? Wooyoung felt dizzy and his brain was cloudy.  _ Where’s Sangi- Yeosang, _ Wooyoung quickly corrected. Wooyoung was holding onto a single thread to prevent himself from completely falling into his headspace. This feeling,  _ In-between headspaces _ was what it was called, was a drunk feeling and it was giving him a headache. He had only experienced it once before and just like the first, it was one of the worst feelings he has ever experienced. Despite it, Wooyoung looked up from the floor and desperately searched around. _ Yeosang. Yeosang. Yeosang. _

Wooyoung’s eyes dilated when he finally caught sight of the man and Yeosang. Yeosang was lying on the floor, his body seeming like dead weight as he let the buff man kick the life out of him. _Kick after kick_. Yeosang’s face was bruised and his eyes were closed, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. The only assurance Wooyoung had were the small movements of the boy’s chest, indicating slow breaths. 

Wooyoung began to breathe heavily at the sight of his friend, his _ brother. _ His lip quivered and his vision turned blurry. This was all his fault. If only he could have stopped Yeosang from going inside the restaurant. If only Wooyoung wouldn't be such a crybaby for wanting food. If only he wouldn't have _tripped,_ Yeosang wouldn't be hurt. Yeosang. His Sangie.  _ Sangie. Sangie was hurt. _

The last thread ripped.

“Sangie!!!” Wooyoung screamed at the top of his lungs. He broke out into ragged sobs, his chest heaving up. He shakily crawled over, and before he could think of what he was doing, he threw his body in front of Yeosang and shielded him. “L-Let ‘im go. P-P’ease stop. S-Stop hur-ting m-my Sangie. W-We s-sorry. Sor-ry. Sowwy.” Wooyoung’s words were incomprehensible as he begged between harsh sobs up to the buff man. He didn’t care if the man was going to hurt him. He didn't care if the man knocked him out unconscious. He could hurt him all he wanted, but he cannot hurt his Sangie. He was all Wooyoung had.

Wooyoung flinched and shut his eyes closed when he saw the man’s foot lift, but then, the blow never came. Wooyoung sobbed as he fearfully cracked an eye open. Through blurry vision, the boy watched the man pause, his big shoe just an inch away from Wooyoung’s head, before he put his foot back down. The man stared at him.

“Are you two...littles?” The man, face expression unreadable, asked with a hesitant flat tone.

Wooyoung slowly looked up with his chest still shaking from his sobs. He saw the man staring at them with a serious look. Wooyoung continued to cry before he finally nodded his head. He flinched when the man loudly cursed and suddenly kicked the trash bin next to them. The loud bang echoed the empty and dark alleyway.

Wooyoung watched as the buff man didn’t hesitate to walk away, cursing underneath his breath about hoping the police wouldn't find out, before he disappeared around the alley’s corner and…left.

Wooyoung was confused. But he wasn’t going to complain. 

Wooyoung turned his head back. He shakily cried as he looked down at Yeosang. “S-Sangie?” He cried as he carefully shook Yeosang’s shoulder. The little didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t think properly like when he was big. All he knew was that Yeosang was hurt. “Sangie?” He desperately tried again. Yeosang remained lying on the floor like a dead corpse.

Wooyoung began to loudly sob again. “Sangie wake up! P’ease wake up! Wake up!” Wooyung desperately begged. “ ‘m sorry! Youngie scared. W-Wake up! Wake up!” The little cried and cried in the empty alleyway.

Minutes? Hours? Wooyoung didn’t know how much time passed, but he cried for a really long time. 

“Sangie! W-Wake up!” Wooyoung cried out one last time before he finally gave up. Wooyoung sobbed as he slowly laid down next to his hurt brother. He let out a whimper and he coughed violently. His throat burned and his breathing was so raspy. He carefully moved his left hand to the side. It was swollen now, but Wooyoung couldn't do anything about it. He cried as he cuddled next to Yeosang’s freezing body. It was so cold and the only clothes the two had were their old thin black ripped hoodies. Wooyoung sniffed and closed his eyes when suddenly-

“Hello?”

Wooyoung’s eyes snapped open at the voice. He heard several pairs of footsteps.

“But there's no one here...?" A different voice said.

The little boy managed to sit up and turned towards the sound. At the end of the alleyway, he could see the back of some figures, three of them. Wooyoung, not being able to scream anymore, let out a strangled out whimper before he began to loudly sob again.

The three figures turned around at the sound. It was three men. One tall, one average, and one short one, all dressed in long winter coats.

Only one thought came to mind when Wooyoung made eye contact with the three faces underneath the moonlight: they looked like knights in shining armor. 

Wooyoung would later find out, he wasn’t wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the prologue for the story. We will rarely get point of views from Wooyoung and Yeosang from now on, so that's why I thought this would be a good first chapter for the story. Please leave a comment with your thoughts (I love reading them!) and please make sure to come back because I will be updating daily! Thank you again :)


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for staying to read! This chapter (and the next) will be introducing the rest of our main characters and the world of this universe :) I hope you enjoy this first chapter!

Seonghwa’s leg shook nervously. He sat at the dining table with his hands wrapped around his brown coffee mug. Thankfully, (or not actually) his coffee had gone cold by now so he wasn’t burning his poor fingers. Seonghwa may or may not have been losing his mind for the last hour.

“Morning, hyung.” San suddenly walked into the kitchen. He gave a sleepy smile over to the older. Seonghwa hummed back. The older had only meant to glance at the younger but his eyes made a double-take when he saw what San was doing. Seonghwa frowned and felt that familiar uncomfortable itch in him.

“Um,” Seonghwa abruptly stood up. His chair loudly scraped against the floor as he quickly stood up from his seat and walked over to San. 

The younger turned back with a confused face when his hyung suddenly appeared behind him as he was trying to pour himself coffee from the coffee machine. “Do you need help? I can do it, if you want. It’s hot and you could get burned-” Seonghwa tried to take the coffee pot from San. San frowned and pulled it away from the other’s reach before he could get it.

“Hyung, it’s fine. I can do it myself, okay?” San tried to reassure the other. He studied Seonghwa‘s face for a few seconds. He frowned again. “Hyung, are you okay? You’re acting weird. Did you sleep?”

Seonghwa blushed at being caught. “I- I just had a long night, Sannie. I’m fine.” Seonghwa smiled, but the dark circles underneath his eyes said otherwise. Realizing San wasn’t really buying it, Seonghwa excused himself out of the room before he could be questioned any further.

San frowned as he watched his hyung practically run away.

“ _ Sannie?” _ San questioned as well at the use of the odd pet name. He looked over to the dining table and noticed the mug. It was full. His hyung hadn’t even taken a sip.

“Morning, San.” Hongjoong walked into the kitchen. Like everyone, he went straight to the coffee machine. He definitely needed caffeine to get through the day.

“Hey, hyung?” San spoke up as he walked over to the table. He sat down with the mug in his hand. “Do you think Seonghwa hyung has been acting weird lately?” San asked the older.

Hongjoong’s eyes scrunched. “Weird?” He questioned. He poured his coffee into his mug before he turned his head back to San. “What do you mean by weird?”

San shrugged. “I don’t know. He was just acting...weird this morning. His eyes look like he hasn't slept in days and he didn’t even have breakfast. He even called me  _ Sannie _ and wanted to pour my coffee for me because he said it could  _ burn me.  _ It’s just coffee, hyung!” The younger exclaimed with a flail of his hands. 

Hongjoong frowned at hearing the vocalist. That was weird. Seonghwa was usually the overprotective type, but not to the extent that he thought a coffee maker was dangerous. The action was...caring. But  _ too _ caring. Hongjoong had a thought pop up, but he quickly dismissed it. No, that couldn’t be it, right? It hasn’t been more than two weeks since the last time he remembered the boys said they were going to go.

“Morning, guys.” Yunho suddenly came trudging into the kitchen in nothing but a loose black shirt and grey sweats. His voice was still laced with sleep too. Hongjoong perked up at seeing a member who would have an answer.

“Hey, Yunho?” Hongjoong called out for. Yunho hummed from where he currently had his head tucked into the refrigerator as he dug around for some form of breakfast. “Did Seonghwa go with you and Mingi to the Little’s Center last time?” Hongjoong asked.

Yunho, too sleepy to even realize how random the question was, shook his head. He stood up straight again with the orange juice carton in hand before closing the fridge. “No. Hyung backed out last minute because he said he got called into the studio. Jongho went with us instead.” The tall boy answered as he grabbed a glass from the cabinets.

Hongjoong and San’s eyes widened and they both looked at each other with the same thoughts in their head. Hongjoong, Yunho, and San had all gone together before the trip Yunho had with the others. Seonghwa hadn’t gone with them then either. And that was last  _ month.  _ How long has Seonghwa, a full-blooded caregiver, gone without taking care of a Little?!

“Stay here. I’ll go talk to him.” Hongjoong said over to San. He didn’t even wait for a response before he quickly skidded out the room. What kind of a friend was he? What kind of a  _ leader _ was he? How did he not realize that one of his members had gone more than a month without slipping into their headspace. Seonghwa could get sick. Not slipping into your headspace could be so  _ dangerous. _

Hongjoong opened the door to his shared bedroom with Seonghwa. He glanced around the room, wondering where the other could be, when he suddenly heard the bed covers rustle. Hongjoong was confused until he looked over to Seonghwa’s bed and he realized the caregiver had gone back to bed. _That_ was definitely unlike Seonghwa. Usually, the man was up and ready. His bed was usually made and the room spotless. Now, the leader noticed the caregiver was laying on his side, face towards the wall with his covers over his shoulders. Hongjoong walked closer and now he realized that Seonghwa was watching something on his phone, one Airpod in his ear.

“Hey, Hwa...you okay?” The leader nervously asked. Hongjoong took a step closer and once he caught a glimpse of the phone’s screen, he sighed.

“Hwa-”

“Joong, I want a little.” Seonghwa’s muffled voice was barely heard. Actually, it was so quiet, Hongjoong was wondering if he heard right. Seonghwa’s eyes never left the screen as he sadly watched a compilation of silly adorable Littles playing around, looking so happy with their caregivers.

Hongjoong didn’t know how to respond to that. How was he supposed to? So, he didn’t.

“Hwa...Why haven’t you been going to the Little’s Center? You know how unhealthy that is? And how dangerous too? Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you tell _me?_ What if something-” 

“Hongjoong, I just can’t, okay?!” Hongjoong froze at Seonghwa’s sudden outburst. Seonghwa sat up on his bed and looked up into Hongjoong’s eyes. The leader’s eyes widened and he gulped. Seonghwa’s eyes were so red and puffy. He was _crying._

“Hongjoong, I can’t go because it’s just so  _ hard  _ going to the Little’s Center. It’s so hard going and seeing everyone’s happy faces. Seeing all the adorable littles and knowing you can’t take one home to care. It’s so hard going once a month and becoming fond of a little and coming back a month later to see them gone because they were adopted. It’s so  _ hard _ , Joong! I can’t go.” Seonghwa looked down when tears fell down his flushed face. 

Hongjoong was taken aback at the sight before him. He has never seen Seonghwa like this. Heck, he wasn’t sure if he had ever seen Seonghwa cry. But now, the caregiver was clearly having a breakdown, and the fact that he hasn’t slipped into his headspace in more than a month wasn’t any better. When someone didn’t slip into their appropriate headspace, their emotions just went all over the place. Hongjoong didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. The next couple of minutes were spent in silence until Hongjoong finally sat down next to Seonghwa on the bed.

“I’m sorry.” Seonghwa apologized. His emotions had definitely settled down by now as he scrubbed his tears away from his face.

Hongjoong shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. For, scolding you before I listened to you. It’s just the leader in me.” Hongjoong mumbled.

Seonghwa gave a watery laugh with his tear-stained face. “No, it’s the caregiver in you, isn’t it?” The oldest asked.

Hongjoong pondered the question. Maybe it was the caregiver in him. Ever since he got classified back when he was 19, he was always scolding and bossing the members around. He made them apologize to each other when they fought and sometimes he made them hug.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa were the only members of the group who were classified as full-blooded caregivers. Yunho was a neutral with high caregiver tendencies, San was a neutral with low caregiver tendencies (but caregiver tendencies nonetheless), and Mingi was a neutral with low (almost to none) Little tendencies. Mingi has never slipped into Little Space and if he has, then it was that low that no one could notice, not even the boy himself. Honestly, they weren’t really sure why it appears in his official classification, but there was at least one drop of Little in his blood. Jongho wasn’t classified yet but everyone was sure he was most likely a neutral with caregiver tendencies. The boy is probably strong enough to carry two Littles on his back.

“I wish I could have a Little of my own.” Seonghwa quietly spoke. Hongjoong blinked himself out of his thoughts and looked over to the other. “But I think the company will freak out if I were to ever ask.” Seonghwa chuckled but his eyes were still gloomy.

“Well, you’ve never asked. There’s plenty of idol groups out there who have Littles…” Hongjoong trailed of.

How would it be if they had a little in a house? A little one who would giggle and run around the house. Yunho would probably want to play with them 24/7. Despite not being an official caregiver, Yunho always ended up at the Little’s Center every two weeks so he could just see the adorable Littles’ faces. Mingi would probably try to dress their little up in so many outfits, from hip-hop to adorable. Jongho and San would probably cause mischief with the Little or humor the baby. Their Little would be absolutely spoiled by those two. Heck, their Little would probably be spoiled by everyone.

Hongjoong felt his shoulder be patted. He blinked and looked up as Seonghwa stood up from the bed. “Come on, Joong. Let’s go back to reality.” The oldest sadly smiled. “San will probably come in here any second now if we don’t leave now.”

The leader managed out a smile and nodded. He stood up and followed Seonghwa to the door, but now, he couldn’t stop thinking.

Hongjoong wished he could have a Little too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I will be updating tomorrow once again so please make sure to come back! Thank you for all the lovely comments so far. I really do appreciate it. :) Thank you!


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning for descriptions of injuries.

After so much begging (and a promise to sleep home for a week instead of the studio), Hongjoong finally convinced Seonghwa to go to the Little’s Center for at least one hour. The leader was so worried the other would collapse or something. Seonghwa was really not sleeping or eating at all. Visiting the Little’s Center would probably not help cure all the needs a caregiver needs to have to function properly, but it would at least help some bit. Hongjoong wouldn’t know what he would do if Seonghwa, or any of the members, ended up in the hospital under his watch.

“Hyung!” Yunho called from the hallway's doorway. Hongjoong was currently sitting on their living room's couch as he worked on his laptop. The leader hummed.

“Can you come with me to the convenience store? Mingi and Jongho are playing video games so they don’t want to come with me and I don’t want to go alone since it’s getting late.” Yunho pleaded.

Hongjoong snickered. “Oh really? I’m the last resort then?” Hongjoong joked around, eyes never leaving his laptop.

“Well, you can be if you want to. I haven’t asked San yet-”

“Asked San what?!” The said male appeared out of nowhere as if he was summoned. That’s a lie, he just came out of the kitchen, but that was extremely good timing. “Oh! Yunho-ah! Are you going out? Can I come?” San perked up like an excited puppy. He smiled so big that his dimples appeared and his eyes shined.

“Yah. He asked me first.” Hongjoong said as he set his laptop down and he stood up. He stretched up his arms and he felt a bone crack. “But, you can tag along too, San.”

“Oh, so  _ now _ you wanna come.” Yunho teased but Hongjoong gave him a look to watch his mouth. Yunho chuckled.

The three left after putting their shoes on and their long coats. The sun had just set down several minutes ago, so the night was starting to get colder and the night had become a dark blue (almost black) color. Hongjoong regrets not coming triple layered in this freezing weather. The leader quietly walked, completely opposite from the other two.

“So then the stylist noona said ‘no San you cannot dye your hair’ and I was like- “

Hongjoong suddenly paused from walking. “Did you hear that?” He asked. Yunho and San stopped laughing and turned back to Hongjoong. They tilted their heads.

“Hear what?” Yunho asked.

Hongjoong pursed his lips. That’s what Hongjoong wanted to know. What did he hear? A faint screech? A cry? He couldn’t exactly pinpoint it.

“It’s probably nothing, hyung. Come on, we’re right next to the store. Snacks will make us feel better!” San grabbed Hongjoong’s hand as well as Yunho’s before dragging them both to the small convenience store.

Hongjoong couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable for the first twelve minutes they rummaged around the store, but slowly his worry went away, and instead, it began to turn into an annoyance. San and Yunho were arguing about which chips were better. Why did those two take so long deciding which one was better for every single thing? Honestly, he wasn’t sure how none of the members weren’t full-blooded Littles themselves.

Finally, after twenty-five minutes of circling the small store, the boys finally got in line with armfuls of snacks. Well, Yunho and San were holding armfuls. Hongjoong was just at the side waiting in line with them...until he realized _ that  _ was taking forever too.

“Hey, I’ll be waiting outside, okay? Make sure to get bags for those.” Hongjoong said over to the two before he exited the small convenience store. 

Hongjoong stood outside on the sidewalk and leaned against a metal pole. He admired the stores around them. They were mostly closed since they were late, but some stores had beautiful clothes displayed on the windows. There were a lot of restaurants and clothes shops in this part of town. The convenience store seemed rather an outlier in the rich neighborhood, but Hongjoong wasn’t complaining. Eating ramen and buying ice cream were little things he appreciated having once in a while.

Hongjoong jumped when he heard an extremely loud bang from across the street. He turned towards the noise and watched as a tall, buff man came from the direction of an alleyway. Based on his angry expressions and his bruised (?) face, he was clearly having issues over there. Hongjoong quickly turned away because the man looked like someone you definitely didn’t want to involve yourself with.

After what seemed like forever, Yunho and San finally came out of the convenience store with each of them holding a bag filled with snacks. Hongjoong didn’t say anything but he made sure to give each of them a judging look. The two only grinned back.

“Come on, we should hurry home. Seonghwa should be heading back by now.” Hongjoong said as he walked forward. He wasn’t going to lie, but he was also freezing cold so the faster they got home, the better. Yunho and San agreed with him and followed right behind him.

The three crossed the street before they began to walk down the sidewalk. Hongjoong was shivering and his hands were becoming ice when suddenly, he heard something again. Hongjoong stopped walking.

“Hyung!” San whined when the boy ran into his back. Hongjoong shushed him.

“Don’t you hear that?” Hongjoong asked again. It was the same sound as before. “Hello?” He called out as he turned his head down the street.

“Yeah...is someone crying?” Yunho asked. He glanced around but they were the only ones on the empty sidewalks. There weren’t even cars passing by. “But there’s no one here...?”

Hongjoong frowned. No. There was definitely somebody here and they were definitely not okay. Hongjoong strained his ears again and waited for a couple of seconds. His eyes widened. There it was again. A whimpering cry. Hongjoong turned towards the direction of the noise and he was confused when he realized it was coming from behind him. 

“You think there’s someone down there?” San asked as they all followed Hongjoong’s look. The alleyway was very long and narrow. It mostly had trash bins and at the end of the alley there was a gate. Why would someone be there?

But then, when this time, a much louder and depressed whimper came from all the way down the alley, Hongjoong knew for a fact that, _yes_ , there was definitely someone there.

No one even said a word, but after hearing the desperate call, the three of them did not even hesitate to quickly walk down the scary dark alley. They passed several trash bins, no one sight in yet, when they finally saw specks of blood. When they finally looked up, they all gasped at the same time.

It was a boy, no older than 21, sitting on the floor with black matted hair over his eyes. He was shivering harder than a leaf with only a thin ripped black hoodie on him and his lips having a hint of blue. The boy was sobbing, but it was almost inaudible, as if he had been crying for so long that he lost his voice. But what scared the three more was the other boy laying on the floor next to him. He was bleeding from the side of his head, his hoodie looked as if it was purposely pulled and ripped. His face was littered in bruises and cuts around, but that wasn’t the thing that hurt the boys the most. No. What hurt the most was the fact that the unconscious boy was laying on the floor with a thumb in his mouth, sucking it in his unconscious state.

_ Littles. _

“Yunho! Quick, call the ambulance. San, call the members and tell them to meet us at the hospital. Now!” Hongjoong ordered. The boys quickly dropped their groceries to the floor and pulled out their phones.

Meanwhile, Hongjoong did not hesitate to take off his coat. Quickly, he bent down and picked up the sobbing and shivering Little who looked ready to pass out any second now. Hongjoong wrapped the expensive coat, not caring one bit about the cold hitting his own skin, around the Little as much as he could. The boy was extremely light, too much to be unhealthy. He felt the little cry into his shoulder and wrap one hand around his neck, the back of Hongjoong's shirt getting clutched tightly.

“It’s okay. You’re okay now. We got you.” Hongjoong said as the Little continued to cry into his shoulder.

“S-S-Sangi-ie.” Hongjoong faintly heard the little in his arms cry out before he broke into a fit of coughs. The caregiver rubbed the Little's back before he nervously looked down at the other boy lying unconscious on the floor. He was going to take his best guesses and assume the unconscious boy was 'Sangie.' Hongjoong wished he could pick the other Little up too but he was so scared he might hurt the other Little. He looked so hurt. So fragile. The caregiver felt tears prickle at his eyes. How can anyone do this? Especially to a little boy?

“H-He’s going to be okay too. Okay? Don’t worry. I got you.” Hongjoong whispered as he comforted the little in his arms. Hongjoong looked down at the other boy too and swallowed.

“I got both of you.”   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the slow burn, but I still hope you enjoyed this chapter! I really loved and appreciated the comments from the first chapter, so thank you everyone who commented. Like always, I'll be updating tomorrow as well. How do you think our Seonghwa will react to the Littles? ;) Have a good day!


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning for a description of violence and injuries.

Everything happened so quickly. One second Hongjoong was holding the shaking boy in his arms, the next there were sirens deafening his ears and the paramedics taking the two littles away from them. Now the three members were somehow in the emergency room’s waiting room, waiting for anyone to update them on the boys’ situation. The paramedics had said they could leave since the boys were now under their care, but heck, like if Hongjoong was going to leave. How could he? How could he leave when the boy in his arms screamed, he screamed so hard it was shocking that the little still had any energy left when a paramedic took the little from his arms. Hongjoong had never felt so pained when he made eye contact with the sobbing little boy desperately reaching out for him when he was pulled away. The caregiver almost wanted to take him back, the body heat leaving all too quickly for him, but when the paramedics passed by with the other little in the gurney, so pained and bruised, he knew these boys had to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Hongjoong’s leg wouldn’t stop shaking as he continued to replay the scene in the waiting room's chair.

“Hongjoong!” 

The leader quickly came back to reality at the familiar voice. “Yunho! San!” Hongjoong saw Seonghwa jog in from the hospital’s entrance. The older’s long black waved curls bounced as he made his way towards them with panic in his eyes. 

“Are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt? Where?” Seonghwa’s panic state slowly turned into confusion as he looked each of them over. Yunho and San looked completely fine and when Seonghwa looked over to Hongjoong he looked fine as well until-

“Where’s your coat? Joong! You must be freezing!” Seonghwa exclaimed.

“Hwa! I’m fine, okay-” Hongjoong sighed when Seonghwa had already taken off his coat to put it over the leader’s shoulders. Hongjoong would have opposed it if it weren’t for the fact that Seonghwa had another sweater on him and if Hongjoong wasn’t actually freezing.

“San, you didn’t tell him why we were here?” Hongjoong looked back at the younger members behind him.

“Um, I was panicking so I just told him to meet us at the emergency room before I hung up so I can call Mingi.” San sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Now that he thought about it, it must have been pretty scary for Seonghwa to receive a call without any other details.

Just in time, the front of the hospital’s doors slid opened and revealed a worried Mingi and Jongho rushing in. They seemed to have left the dorm in a rush because they wore nothing but a simple hoodie and jeans.

“Hyungs? What happened? Why are we here?” Jongho asked the second he spotted the standing members in the waiting room. He looked equally scared and worried as well as the tall male behind him.

Hongjoong sighed. How was he supposed to explain this?

“When we were going on the way back home, we found two abandoned Littles who looked as if they were beaten to death!” Yunho blurted out with wide eyes.

_ Okay, well that’s one way to explain it. _ Hongjoong pursed his lips at the bluntness of their tallest member.

“What?! Someone was trying to kill two Littles?!” Mingi loudly exclaimed.

“No! That’s not what happened.” Hongjoong shushed the loud member. Well, Hongjoong was praying that wasn’t the intention for these two Littles. “We passed by an alleyway and we heard some sounds so we went to check it out. We found two Littles. One of them was bruised and crying and the other was completely injured and unconscious. I think someone hurt them...” Hongjoong quietly explained, the memories still haunting him.

“Bruised? Unconscious? Someone...hurt these two littles?” Seonghwa softly spoke. Hongjoong looked over to him. The older’s eyes looked so angry, but he also looked so hurt. As if someone had hurt him directly. Hongjoong wanted to comfort him, tell him it was okay because he was feeling those exact same feelings too. Caregivers shared a different sort of feelings than neutrals. Only he and Seonghwa could feel this type of pain.

Hongjoong would have comforted him if it weren’t for a doctor who suddenly came out behind the restricted doors - where all the hospital patients were. 

“Um...Kim Hongjoong?” The doctor read from the sticky note the receptionist had given them. They had written down the leader’s name to make sure that they would be informed about the two Littles’ state as soon as possible.

The doctor looked up to see six heads turn at him at the same time. The doctor raised his eyebrows until Hongjoong realized he had been the one called. He cleared his throat before he walked forward.

“Um, I’m Kim Hongjoong, but all of us are worried about the Littles’ conditions.” Hongjoong awkwardly explained the situation.

The doctor hummed in understanding (or maybe he didn’t know how to respond to that and was just trying to be nice.) “Very well then, if all of you are here for the Littles, may you please follow me?” The doctor asked. They all nodded. Hongjoong followed the doctor while the others followed behind Hongjoong.

“So these Littles are thankfully in no life-threatening conditions. This doesn’t mean they don’t have serious injuries, but thankfully those injuries should heal within a month.” The doctor explained as he led them through a long hallway. 

“What injuries do they exactly have?” San asked out of curiosity and couldn’t help himself. After seeing the poor little boy sprawled out on the floor unconscious, he couldn’t stop thinking how much in pain he would be.

“The Little who was found unconscious was close to having a fractured rib, but thankfully he didn’t. He also has a concussion as well as the visible bruises and cuts on his face. We have given him medication to reduce the pain. The other Little did not have as many injuries, but he also had many bruises and cuts on him. What mainly concerned me for him were the bruises on his neck. He was having difficulty breathing so we temporarily put an oxygen mask on him. It’s possible he may have been choked, so we are taking the procedures to get him enough oxygen as possible.” The doctor explained as he read off the notes he had taken.

The members frowned at the descriptions of the Littles. The members who hadn’t seen the Littles felt worry and pity while the ones who had found the Littles were mostly angry. They silently walked around a corner until they suddenly came to a halt.

Hongjoong looked up and realized they had stopped in front of a door. He couldn’t help himself and he gazed his eyes inside the room the second he spotted two hospital Little’s cribs. He thought his heart would break right then and there when he saw the Littles inside them. The boy farthest from them and closer to the window was the Little who had been found unconscious. Hongjoong noticed how they had washed him up and changed him out of the bloody ripped clothes. The once matted brown hair was now fluffy and a bit long over his eyes. He was wearing a simple white cotton long-sleeve hospital onesie with a baby blue fleece blanket over his bare legs. In replacement of his thumb, he was now sucking on a clear hospital pacifier as he peacefully slept. He was a cute baby, Hongjoong could only think. Even with so many bruises and cuts on his face, he could just imagine the Little having a beautiful smile and shining eyes under them. He was absolutely adorable, even if all he did was sleep inside the white crib. Hongjoong’s eyes shifted towards the crib right beside it. Hongjoong frowned when his eyes fell over the Little’s face. He was peacefully sleeping, but there was an oxygen mask over his mouth. His face still seemed a bit red and had some dried tears on his cheeks. Thankfully, he had also been cleaned up and the once dirtied face was now clean and his black hair sat fluffy over his forehead as well. Hongjoong couldn’t help but lower his eyes and now did he realize the purple-green bruises on his neck. The doctor was right. He had to have been choked. The marks looked as if fingers were pressing into the Little’s neck. Hongjoong wanted to throw up. How can anyone just hurt two Littles?

“Have you been able to identify who these Littles are? If they have a caregiver, or not?” 

Hongjoong quickly looked up when he realized what Seonghwa had asked. The leader narrowed his eyes at the elder and Seonghwa glanced at him as if he was just waiting for that reaction from him. Seonghwa knew what he was asking the doctor. And Hongjoong knew what Seonghwa was thinking of. 

“So far, we have taken their blood to just confirm they are Littles, and indeed they definitely are. They are both full-blooded Littles. We have someone going through various profiles on our computers to see if either their blood matches to one of them or we find their pictures to match.”

“Is that going to take long?” Jongho suddenly asked. “What if you can’t find out where they’re from? Or, what if they don’t have a caregiver?” The maknae pestered on questions.

“Since they are currently in our custody, we will have them in the hospital until they are healthy enough to leave. If they are not claimed by anyone or we can’t find them on our system, we will have to send them to a Little’s Center that has availability.” The doctor explained.

“Wait. But the Little’s Centers in Seoul are always packed. Are you going to separate them?” Mingi asked next, his eyes widened.

All the members were shocked at the realization and stared over at the doctor for an answer. Based on his pitiful face expression, they already knew the answer. Hongjoong curled his fingers at just the thought. They would separate the Littles? They couldn’t do that. The little Hongjoong had carried had used his last vocal strength to just mutter the name of the other Little-

“Sangie.” Hongjoong muttered out loud. That was his name. The name of one of the Littles.

“Huh?” San said. All the members were staring at the leader.

“Sangie. That’s what the Little who wasn’t unconscious called the other Little.” Hongjoong slowly spoke. “Can that help in any way to find out who these Littles are?” Hongjoong asked the Doctor. The doctor thought for a moment before he finally nodded.

“I’ll go tell the social workers right now who are reviewing their case at the moment.” The doctor said. “All of you are welcome to stay with the Littles until visiting hours are closed. If any of you have any questions afterward, please let me know.” The doctor bowed. The members bowed back before the doctor dismissed himself to find the social workers.

“Do you two, um, wanna see them first?” Yunho made the first move in their quiet circle. Hongjoong and Seonghwa immediately looked up at Yunho, startled by the sudden suggestion when they realized who he was talking to. “I mean, because both of you are caregivers. I think it would be better for them and for you to see first.” Yunho quietly finished.

“Yeah, Yunho's right! Caregivers have that comforting aura for Littles too, so it might make them relax or something.” San happily agreed. “We’ll wait out here and we’ll go in after.” San encouraged. The two eldest looked at the rest of the members but they nodded in agreement. Well, that settled it then.

Seonghwa walked in first, much to Hongjoong’s surprised. The leader quickly caught up with him and he felt his throat tightened at now being closer to the Littles. Hongjoong’s eyes trailed over to Seonghwa to see how he would react. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to bring him in after the male has been having a difficult time with his caregiver headspace. Hongjoong was about to open his mouth to express these thoughts to his friend when he saw Seonghwa crouch next to the crib that belonged to ‘Sangie’. 

Seonghwa brought his hand through the bars of the crib. “It’s okay.” Seonghwa softly whispered to the Little. Hongjoong looked over at the Little and now did he only realize the pained expression in the Little’s face. His eyebrows were scrunched in and he looked close to releasing a whimper. How could he not be in pain after all the injuries he had?

Hongjoong watched as Seonghwa carefully grabbed the Little’s hand and rubbed circles over it. He whispered soft comforting words and the Little’s face slowly began to relax. Especially when Seonghwa carefully stroked his hair and swept the loose strands of hair away from the Little’s eyes.

When Hongjoong’s eyes gazed back at Seonghwa, he saw something he had missed seeing on Seonghwa. He was smiling. He was really smiling. It wasn't those fake smiles he did for courtesy. He was _actually_ smiling. The caregiver was smiling so brightly at realizing that he was able to make the Little relax. Seonghwa was in his headspace.

Maybe it was a good idea to make Seonghwa come.

  
~~~  
  


Baby Number 1 and Baby Number 2. 

Seonghwa had frowned at realizing that he didn't have a name to call the nameless Little. So, after Hongjoong had jokingly called the nameless Little, Baby #1, it only felt right for Seonghwa to call him that. Although the Little 'Sangie' had at least a nickname, Seonghwa thought it would be cute if he would be Baby #2. Until they were able to identify who these Littles were, those would be the names Seonghwa would be calling them, thank you very much.

After spending a good amount of time with both Littles, Seonghwa  and Hongjoong finally stepped out of the room. In all honesty, it was difficult for both caregivers to leave the Littles’ sides. Seonghwa couldn’t help but think how cute Baby #2's button nose was or how Baby#1 had such adorable small hands. Hongjoong mentally agreed with this in his own head and it took so much willpower to not want to cuddle with both Littles right then and there.

Once they were outside, the rest of the members looked up from their phones. They gave them a look to ask if it was okay to go in. Hongjoong was the one who softly smiled and nodded towards the room. The members smiled, especially an excited Yunho and San, before the four of them slipped into the hospital room. Seonghwa and Hongjoong were left outside the room on their own. Neither of them said anything, lost in their own thoughts before Seonghwa finally let out a sigh.

“Hongjoong, what are we going to do?” The oldest softly spoke.

“What do you mean?” Hongjoong answered dumbly. Seonghwa gave the leader an exasperated look for lamely avoiding the elephant in the room.

“We- Joong, who’s going to take care of these Littles?” Seonghwa finally voiced out his concerns. “W-We can’t let them be separated into different Little’s Centers. B-But, we can’t take them in, right?” Seonghwa groaned and covered his face with his hands in frustration.

Hongjoong sighed. “Hwa, there’s a chance they may have caregivers. Maybe we won’t even have to worry about any of this?” Hongjoong couldn’t even believe himself. What caregiver would leave their two Littles out in an alleyway injured and in ripped clothes? Even if they did have a caregiver, there was no way social services would ever let these boys go back to them. 

The two didn’t speak after that again, but Hongjoong could see the millions of thoughts running in Seonghwa’s head. He was staring out into oblivion, and Honjoong couldn’t blame him. He was panicking himself too. What was their plan exactly? Were they just going to go home and pretend this night ever happened? Were they just going to let the authorities take care of everything? Hongjoong frowned at just the thought.

One thing Hongjoong knew for sure, he was definitely not going to sleep until he found out who these Littles are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this longer than the usual chapter! I always love reading your comments so thank you again. :) Have a good day everyone!


	5. Chapter 4

The boys left the hospital once the clock hit nine o clock. It’s not like they wanted to, but they were literally kicked out since visiting hours were over. The ride back home was quiet and the rest of the night was silent too. Each of them were too caught up in their own thoughts to want to talk or hang out with each other. The snacks they had bought were stored away in their cabinets.

Hongjoong didn’t sleep as he predicted. Instead, he stayed in his bed tossing and turning or simply staring at the ceiling.

Unknown to the leader, his roommate was awake too. Seonghwa couldn’t stop thinking of the Littles well being after seeing them. Were they still sleeping? Were they scared? What if they woke up and no one was in their room to notice? He spent hours in bed just repeating the thoughts in his head. Seonghwa knew it was the biology in him that was causing all of his stress and worries. It was also his fault for avoiding slipping into his own headspace as well, causing all of his protective emotions to amplify. He internally sighed and closed his eyes. He needs to sleep. Seonghwa hasn’t slept in days. This was definitely not healthy at all.  _ Sleep. Sleep. Sleep- _

Seonghwa snapped his eyes open.

Nope, he can’t do this. He has to go.

~~~

By the time Seonghwa was done pacing and eventually getting dressed, it was almost six in the morning. Seonghwa was now wearing layered clothes and was walking down the streets of Seoul, his face freezing from the weather. This was a bad idea and Seonghwa knew it was. He can’t be getting attached to these Littles. They weren’t his and there was a possibility that these boys could already have a caregiver. But it was that dumb itch inside of him that kept prodding Seonghwa to continue walking the streets towards his destination. Towards the hospital he had visited less than 24 hours ago.  _ This is a bad idea. _

But, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea once he was standing in front of the same hospital room he had been with Hongjoong yesterday. Seonghwa gazed in from outside the door, a small part of him still telling himself that he should just go home and forget about these Littles, but once he laid eyes on the boy he had grown so fond of, his little Baby #1, he was just compelled to go in. 

Seonghwa’s eyes widened when he walked closer and looked down at the crib. The Little wasn’t wearing the oxygen mask anymore. Now up close, he could see the baby was sucking a pacifier much like his friend (brother?) instead of the plastic breathing device. Seonghwa was going to blame it on his emotions, but he may or may have teared up when he realized it. The Little must be getting healthier. Gently, he brought down his hand and stroked the baby’s soft cheek. Although Baby #1 was still deeply asleep, he subconsciously sighed from the warm touch and tried to snuggle deeper into Seonghwa’s hand. The caregiver smiled and whispered a small ‘cute’ underneath his breath.

“Good Morning!”

A chirpy voice almost scared Seonghwa half to death. He quickly turned around and relaxed when he realized it was just a young woman dressed in blue scrubs. She seemed really young (maybe early twenties?) but friendly with her hair tied back and a big smile on her face. Seonghwa (once recovered) smiled back at her with a greeting of his own.

“Are you their nurse?” Seonghwa politely asked the woman to make a conversation.

“Oh, no, I’m not. I’m just an intern here.” The young woman chuckled as she wrote on the whiteboard that held a schedule for the actual nurses on the wall. She turned around and smiled at Seonghwa again before looking down at the two sleeping Littles.

“Aw, they’re so adorable. You must be their caregiver, right?” The nurse smiled back at Seonghwa while she cooed over Baby #2.

Seonghwa was a little taken aback by the question. The young woman must not know the situation of the two Littles since she was just an intern. Seonghwa bit his lip and he knew he will never understand why he said what he said next:

“Yes. Um, I am...their caregiver.” Seonghwa nervously answered. The intern didn’t notice his hesitancy and smiled back at him before saying something about how lucky he was.

Seonghwa couldn’t do anything but give a strained smile because he could already imagine Hongjoong yelling at him. Yep, he was definitely going to get an earful later.

~~~

“Hyung is going to kill us.”

“Okay. You can stay then. I understand.” San smiled before patting his friend. He began to walk down the street.

_ 1, 2, 3 _

“Hyung, wait!” 

San smirked when he heard Jongho jog up to his side so he could catch up with him.

“We’re going to get in trouble you know.” Jongho only grumbled once he was next to San and walking with him.

“Since when is going to visit two Littles at a hospital a  _ crime?”  _ San huffed at the accusation.

Jongho stayed silent. “The only thing hyung told us yesterday was to not get attached.” Jongho took a pause before saying, “You’re getting attached, aren’t you, hyung?”

San didn’t say anything and tried his best to not frown. He continued to walk towards the hospital and he was glad Jongho didn’t push the question any further. Deep down, San knew the only reason the younger didn’t push it was because Jongho was getting attached too.

~~~

“Mingi! Which one do you think they’ll like better? Teddy Bears? Or Dogs?”

“Yunho, that’s so basic. Take the baby sheep and the baby sloth.”

“You’re right! We’re not basic, so the Littles definitely shouldn’t be either.”

Oh yeah, Mingi and Yunho were  _ definitely _ not attached.

~~~

Hongjoong was walking back home, the sun setting a while ago, when the caregiver felt that itching feeling on his body. It was an urge that made his fingers curl and extend nervously and his brain cross a thousand thoughts. He’s been like this since yesterday night since he left the hospital. His head was in a weird state after he unexpectedly slipped into his headspace when he had found those Littles. Yesterday had been very short and abrupt, so his caregiver needs were going crazy. But, was he just using his caregiver genes as an excuse? Or did he just need someone to blame that he really really really wanted to check up on those Littles? One part of his brain told him that he shouldn’t involve himself in this situation. He was an idol. He couldn’t take care of a Little nonetheless  _ two  _ Littles. But the other part of him, the one who kept him up all night, the one who distracted him through dance practice, and the one who couldn’t even let him work on his music was telling him that he should check up on these Littles. He had found them so he should take some form of responsibility, right?

Hongjoong didn’t know how but he ended up in front of the hospital. Well, if he was here already, he should just go, right?

Hongjoong was nervous the entire elevator ride up and the entire walk towards the hospital room. He’ll be quick. He’ll just go in and come out. Just to check that they were okay. Hongjoong gave himself one last pep talk when he stopped in front of the room. The caregiver took a deep breath before stepping inside the white-walled room.

Hongjoong’s nervousness dissipated at the sound of whining. He reacted quickly, looking over at the two cribs to see which Little was in distress. The unnamed baby looked okay. He was sleeping peacefully while hugging a stuffed...sheep? Hongjoong ignored the random stuffed animal at the moment and turned his head to look over at Sangie. The said Little let out another whine and...he had his eyes opened. They were barely opened as if he had just woken up or maybe he was just half asleep. Either way, Hongjoong spotted two small pupils on the Little that seemed to be whining as he felt around the mattress of his crib.

“What’s wrong, hmm? Are you cold?” Hongjoong spoke in a much softer tone than he usually would. He began to bring the fleece blanket up to Sangie’s chest when he realized the Little no longer had his pacifier. The caregiver paused before he looked around the crib under the mess of blankets. Hongjoong’s hand brushed something plastic and at the edge of the crib, he found the plastic pacifier. He smiled before he brought it back to the Little’s lips.

“Happy now, huh?” Hongjoong cooed when Sangie sucked on the soother contently, his whines stopped like a switch. The Little slowly blinked and stared at Hongjoong for a couple of seconds before he yawned. Hongjoong caught the pacifier before it could get lost again and gave it back to the younger. The Little closed his eyes again after a short battle of trying to keep his eyes open. The younger must be exhausted from the pain medicine given to him. He was probably dozing in and out sleep throughout the day.

“Go to sleep, little one.” Hongjoong whispered. He stroked the boy’s soft hair for a few minutes before he decided to tuck the Little in. He made sure to wrap the Little comfortably with the baby blue blankets and he even tucked the stuffed sloth (seriously where did these stuffed animals come from? The hospital must have interesting taste) that had been strewn about in the crib. It took everything for Hongjoong not to melt when the Little immediately latched onto the toy and nuzzled his nose to it in his sleep. He was definitely relaxed and asleep now.

“Wow, these boys are very lucky.”

Hongjoong almost embarrassingly yelped when the voice interrupted the quiet mood of the hospital room. He cleared his throat before he turned around to see a young woman in blue scrubs smiling as she refilled the boxes of masks and gloves that had run out in the room.

“Excuse me?” Hongjoong politely asked after his heartbeat regained to a steady pace. He hadn’t heard what the woman had said after the scare he had.

“Oh, I just said how lucky these Little ones are to have so many people care over them.” She smiled. “You must be their sixth caregiver, right? Are there any more of you that are running late?” The nice lady chuckled.

Hongjoong was extremely confused by the nurse’s (she looked too young to be a nurse?) comment but on the outside, he simply gave a polite smile. “Ah, um...no. I am, um, the last caregiver?” He tried to confidently say, but it didn’t come out as smooth as he had hoped for.

“It’s okay. I guessed by now that all of you must be caregivers a part of an idol group, right? Don’t worry we see them all the time! Your secret is safe with us.” The woman beamed at him.

Hongjoong smiled and thanked her because honestly, he didn’t know what to say.

Hongjoong watched as the lady left as quickly as she came after her short task. He turned his head back to look at the nameless little. Hongjoong felt so reassured to see him still deep asleep. He turned to look at Sangie and the boy was still relaxed as he was before. 

Hongjoong gave a tiny smirk. So, the other members came too, huh?

Hongjoong couldn’t help but smile. At least he's not the only one who realized that he was extremely whipped for these Littles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little filler chapter I think? Still hope you enjoyed either way! In the next chapter, we will finally get a lot more information over these Littles ;) Stay tuned and thanks for reading!!!


	6. Chapter 5

All the members sat around the living room. Seonghwa, San, and Jongho on the couch while Yunho and Mingi were on the floor. They were all sitting awkwardly and avoiding eye contact with each other. They had just finished breakfast when the leader had suddenly called for a group meeting. Hongjoong currently stood in front of them with his arms crossed. He didn’t have neither happy nor angry look. He seemed pretty neutral. The members still couldn’t help but gulp. Despite Hongjoong not seeming like he was going to start a long lecture, a sudden group meeting was _never_ good.

“So, who visited the Littles yesterday?” Hongjoong asked. Everyone internally flinched, surprised they were getting right to the point.

No one looked up and kept their mouth shut. Hongjoong sighed.

“Just saying, I already know who went.” The leader added. Hongjoong laughed when all of the members looked up from the floor and stared at him apologetically.

“Hyung! I told San hyung we shouldn’t have gone!”

“Joong, I swear I tried not to go but I couldn’t just leave them there-”

“The stuffed animals were so cute, hyung! We _had_ to buy it for them.”

Everyone in the room began talking at the same time until they all realized what everyone was saying. It was quiet for a few seconds until San finally made the connection and asked, “Wait. You guys went too?!” And now the whole room was confused, except for Hongjoong of course.

“You guys, don’t worry I know everyone went.” Hongjoong silenced everyone. “Even I went last night...to visit the Littles.” The leader quietly added, but everyone heard him loud and clear.

“Oh my god, you went too, hyung?” San was in awe at hearing that his hyung broke his own rule. “Oh my god. They’ve got us so whipped, even you, hyung, and they're not even awake! Imagine when they’re healthy and running around! We'll probably let them get away with anything.” San teased the older. Although the comment was well intended, it only made the said male freeze, and the others awkwardly look over to the leader for his response. Seonghwa caught the tense reaction from the leader and cleared his throat to shift the attention away from him.

“San, you know we can’t keep the Littles. This meeting is probably meant to let us know that we should all stop going to the hospital and-”

“No.” Hongjoong quietly spoke up. Seonghwa stopped speaking and looked over at the leader with eyes widened in shock. “I, actually, um was going to propose that it is okay if you want to visit the Littles, only for the time being, instead of sneaking around.”

Seonghwa was at a loss of words. He stared at Hongjoong as if he had grown two heads. The other members had their mouth hung open, wondering if someone had kidnapped the leader. “Joong-”

“I know it doesn’t seem like the best idea for us, but these Littles don’t have anyone at the moment. Until they find their caregiver or find care for them, we should take care of them since we were the ones that found them. I’ll sleep better at night knowing that these Littles won’t be by themselves at a hospital during their stay. So, if you guys want to visit them too, or not, then it’s fine by me.” Hongjoong finished expressing all the thoughts he had since the moment he left the hospital last night. Again, they may end up hurt once the Littles have to leave the hospital and are out of reach, but if Hongjoong can be a perfect caregiver for them for at least a week then he’ll endure all the pain to make sure the Littles know they are loved.

“I knew you were always the best leader, hyung!” Mingi shot up from his seat and swallowed Hongjoong into a tight hug. The rapper was so happy that he will get to spend time with the Littles a bit longer. He didn’t feel right about sneaking around without telling the others. That reminds him…

“Oh! Hyung! Can we go see them right now?” The rapper pulled away from the leader. Hongjoong barely had time to process the question (trying to recover from being thrown around like a rag doll by Mingi) before Yunho gasped and lightened up at the idea.

“Please, hyung? We should go! Maybe they’re awake by now.” Yunho pleaded both to the two caregivers in the room. Soon, Mingi and San began to plead and even Jongho stared at the oldest ones with beg in his look.

“It’s still early... I guess we have time before practice?” Seonghwa eventually asked, slowly looking over to Hongjoong.

The rest cheered despite Hongjoong not even saying the final yes. They all knew if Seonghwa agreed, then Hongjoong would definitely say yes.

They weren’t wrong.

~~~

“Good Morning, noona!” San happily greeted at someone while they walked the hallways of the hospital floor. 

Hongjoong was surprised, wondering who on earth San could be talking to (especially close enough to call them _noona_ ) when he realized it was the young woman from yesterday. The intern. Of course it would be San to befriend someone so quick. Hongjoong gave a polite smile to her when she greeted back. She had an amused look at seeing all six members of the group at the same time heading to the Littles’ room. She didn’t say anything about it though and smiled before she excused herself to wherever she had to attend. 

“The Littles were sleeping when San hyung and I went to visit them yesterday. I wonder when they’re going to wake up.” Jongho mumbled as they passed multiple Little patient rooms.

“I think they’ve been dozing off here and then. Yesterday, one of the Littles - Sangie - was half awake when I came last night.” Hongjoong casually mentioned. But based on all the gasps, it apparently wasn’t supposed to be so casual.

“What?! You’re so lucky, hyung!” Yunho exclaimed. “I want to see at least one of them awake.” Yunho pouted.

Well, Ateez has said Yunho was lucky for a reason. Because the second they stood in front of the familiar door, the members made eye contact with two small curious blinking eyes staring right at them from behind the white bars of the hospital crib. The baby looked as if he had just woken up, a yawn escaping his lips, and his eyes slowly blinking. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands before he curiously stared at everything around him.

“Oh my god, you’re so cute!” San was the first one to react. Mingi was faster though because he quickly skidded over to the crib and crouched down so he could be at eye level with the baby first. Yunho and San were right behind him and soon enough the three surrounded the crib as they cooed at the adorable nameless Little.

“Yah! You guys are so chaotic. He seems really little right now you’re all going to-”

Seonghwa’s warnings were too late. The Little, who had previously been so calm and quiet, was definitely startled by all the sudden attention. It could be scary having three men running over to you (two of them being _six feet tall_ ) and suddenly having people up in your face. The Little’s lip wobbled before his pacifier fell from his mouth. The overwhelmed baby pitifully began crying, heart-wrenching sobs escaping him.

Hongjoong gave the boys a judgeful look with crossed arms and the three returned a pout as they stepped away. Thankfully, Seonghwa stepped in as soon as the others cleared away. He cooed at the baby - Baby #1 - and tried giving him back his pacifier. The baby cried and shook his head, not allowing Seonghwa to put the pacifier in his lips. Seonghwa was confused until suddenly he realized why the baby did not want his pacifier. The caregiver’s eyes widened when the Little cried and lifted his arms up at him. He blabbered incoherent words behind his tears as he silently begged for Seonghwa to pick him up. _This one must be a cuddler_ , the caregiver could only think.

Seonghwa hesitated for a few seconds (not knowing if he was allowed to pick him up) until Baby #1 started crying louder and curled his fingers in and out to show the other how much he wanted to be picked up. How could Seonghwa say no to that? The caregiver cooed again before he carefully bent down to pick the baby up. He made sure to handle the fragile Little with so much care and lifted him up into his arms. Baby #1 stopped crying, strangely, almost instantly. He still had some tears, but his loud wails had stopped. It’s almost as if the baby had been crying only because he wanted to be picked up rather than wanting to be comforted. Nonetheless, Seonghwa couldn’t even bring himself to think more of it because the body in his arms suddenly made his heart feel so warm. Baby #1 curled his arms around his neck and buried his head in his neck. His legs were on each side of Seonghwa’s waist as the caregiver carefully held him from his bottom. The caregiver whispered soothing words to the Little and rubbed his back. Slowly, Baby #1’s whimpers slowly stopped as he hugged Seonghwa tightly. The caregiver almost cried at being able to successfully calm the distressed boy. 

Jongho’s voice suddenly distracted Seonghwa from his happy thoughts.

“Aww, Mingi, Yunho, and San hyung scared you, huh? Don’t worry, I know they look like ugly scary monsters but trust me they’re not as bad as you think.” Jongho smirked, the comment directed more towards the members than the Little himself. Unlike his hyungs, he had stayed at an appropriate distance from the crib as well as Hongjoong. He was sure going to rub that in the others’ faces.

“We were just excited! We didn’t mean to scare him.” Yunho pouted. “Good thing Seonghwa hyung was able to calm him down with his caregiver powers.” Yunho smiled at the end of his distance. He now stood next to Jongho, just having watched the entire scene, and cooed from a distance at the Little resting his head on Seonghwa’ shoulder.

“It’s not caregiver powers, Yunho, it’s just handling a Little _without_ screaming in their face,” Hongjoong spoke up. “These boys are probably younger than the ones at the Little’s Center because of what they have just gone through. All of you need to make sure to be more gentle with them.” Hongjoong lightly scolded. The members all promised they would be more careful, not daring to defend themselves in case of another scolding. They weren’t lying when they say Hongjoong could scold for hours.

“Aww, he fell asleep.” Mingi quietly said after a while as he watched the nameless Little’s chest rhythmically rise and fall. 

“Hyung’s shoulder must be really comfortable.” Jongho chuckled. The Little seemed really comfortable with his mouth slightly opened. Despite being deeply asleep, his fingers were still tightly gripping Seonghwa’s jacket, as if he never wanted to let go of the caregiver.

After a few more minutes, Seonghwa eventually did put him back in his crib. Baby #1’s nose had scrunched at the loss of the body heat, but Seonghwa quickly gave him his stuffed sheep to hug instead. Thankfully, the baby gave no more trouble once his pacifier was back in his lips, his sheep in his arms, and the fleece blanket was tucked around him. He looked absolutely adorable.

The members stayed and admired the two Littles a little more. Hongjoong couldn't help but realize how much he couldn't stop smiling. His heart has never felt so warm, so _happy_ before. The two Littles were doing nothing but sleeping, but still, Hongjoong couldn't help but think how much he cared for them. Hongjoong again thought that pitiful thought of how much he really wished they were his.

The members eventually decided that they should start heading out and let the Littles peacefully sleep. Each of them, (after an overdramatic but quiet farewell) exited the hospital room with a heavy, but satisfied heart. They smiled at having a somewhat successful visit.

The members were walking down the hallway towards the elevator when they suddenly heard a voice shout,

“Oh! Hongjoong-ssi! You’re here! Oh, you’re all here!”

The boys turned around, confused expressions on their faces, wondering who was calling at them when they saw the Doctor from the night they brought in the Littles. He quickly walked over to them. He seemed really happy, maybe relieved. Hongjoong felt a weird nervous feeling in his stomach, but he ignored it by giving a polite smile to the doctor instead. Hongjoong couldn’t even greet the doctor before the doctor suddenly blurted out,

“The social workers have just informed me this morning that they were able to track down the two Littles’ files. We know who these Littles are and where they're from!” The doctor smiled at all the members because of the good news.

Hongjoong’s smile fell and his blood went cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took long to update! I was a bit busy, but I hope this long chapter makes up for it. The chapter was getting a bit too long so I had to split them, sorry :( I promise the next update will be better! Thank you for your thoughts on this story and I can't wait to update again. Have a good day!


	7. Chapter 6

Jung Wooyoung. Kang Yeosang.

Those were their names.

Hongjoong couldn’t stop staring at the computer screen in front of them. The other members must feel the same way based on the way they all crowded around him. The Doctor, who had led them to a room, stood a couple of feet away as he allowed the members to look at the information displayed on the screen.

_ Jung Wooyoung. 20 years old. Classification: Full-Blooded Little  _

_ Little Headspace Range: 2 to 6 years old _

Hongjoong couldn’t stop staring at the headshot picture of the boy that matched the profile. The boy that he had picked up at the alleyway and had clung so tightly onto him. His name was Wooyoung. The leader continued to stare at the picture and admired every feature of the boy’s face. One thing was for sure: the boy was  _ definitely _ a Little, classification taken or not. In the headshot, the boy was stubbornly pouting like he didn’t want to be there. He wore a light grey hoodie with his black hair just a bit over his eyes. He may not be smiling, but Hongjoong couldn’t stop thinking how adorable he looked. The caregiver had only seen him in tears, bruises, and an oxygen mask before today’s visit. It was reassuring to see the Little in a better physical state. Hongjoong also couldn’t help but notice the baby fat in his cheeks that appeared in the headshot. Wooyoung didn’t seem to have that anymore. The memory of how light Wooyoung had been when he had first carried him crossed Hongjoong’s mind.

_ Kang Yeosang. 20 years old. Classification: Full-Blooded Little _

_ Little Headspace Range: 2 to 6 years old _

Hongjoong stared at the profile. Sangie. Yeosang. That’s where the nickname had come from. 

The two Littles’ information were nearly identical, if it weren’t for their surname and date of birth, Hongjoong may have actually believed that they were brothers,  _ twins _ . Hongjoong looked over at Yeosang’s headshot. In the picture, he had long wavy hair that fell just above his eyes. Much like Wooyoung, he was frowning at whoever was making him stay still for the picture. Were they both at a Little’s Center? Is that why they were being forced to take a picture that they were clearly not enjoying? If they were from a Little’s Center, then why were they found on the streets nearly beaten to death?

“Social Services, the ones who found their files, have already contacted the Little’s Center they are filed under.” The doctor explained as if he could read the caregiver’s thoughts. He took a short pause. “The center informed us that Jung Wooyoung and Kang Yeosang ran away from the Little’s Center over two months ago.” The doctor finished with a nervous edge to his tone.

All of them quickly turned their heads to face the doctor, a look of disbelief in their features.

“Over two months?! These Littles ran away two months ago and the center didn’t bother to inform the police? Update their profile?  _ Look  _ for them?” Seonghwa yelled in anger and pure range. How? How could you just let two Littles leave and survive out alone on the streets? 

“But they must have ran away for a reason, right? If the Little Center didn’t even care that they ran away, then that probably means they were not being properly taken care of in the first place.” Mingi mumbled mostly to himself, but he was loud enough for everyone to hear him.

“Social Services have already contacted the police and the Little’s Center they were from is currently under investigation. The caretakers of the Center will be questioned, as well as the Littles, to see the activity that has been going on over there.” The Doctor informed them. The members stayed quiet, taking everything in. They were frustrated and angry at the information being thrown at them. How could they just let Littles live in homes with unsuitable caretakers? What more has been going on down there?

“So, since we found out that they don’t have caregivers...now what? Will you just separate them and send them back to a Little’s Center?” Hongjoong finally asked the question that had been bothering all of them the most.

The Doctor sighed. “Once they are healthy enough, they will be discharged and go to a different Little’s Center than the one they were in previously. The other Little’s Centers in Seoul are nearly full, so we would have to make some...adjustments so each of these Littles can live in a safe environment.”

_ So, yes. _ Hongjoong wanted to say. The doctor did not want to say that simple word, but that’s what he meant either way. In simpler words, Wooyoung and Yeosang would get separated and be put in different Little’s Centers. These two Littles, who suffered together in an unsafe Little’s Center, who ran away together from the Center, who stuck with each other for over two months together, and nearly almost died together, were going to get separated.

The boys all left the hospital with unsettlement in their heads.

Hongjoong wasn't going to admit it, but that same night, after he dragged himself through practice and vocal lessons, he may have spent a good portion of his time crying by himself in his studio. He had thrown his lyric book off his desk (he couldn't work either way) and he grabbed his hair as he cried from frustration. He cried at the thought of how life was so unfair. How these innocent Littles, _Wooyoung and Yeosang_ , must have been treated so bad, must have lacked so much love, and now, when all Hongjoong wanted was to adopt these Littles to give them every ounce of his own love, he couldn't. His company would never allow them in a million years to adopt  _ two _ Littles, especially as a rookie group. Hongjoong threw his second notebook and yelled with rage. Life was really unfair.

~~~

It has been six days since the night the two Littles were found and sent to the hospital. The members have started a pretty good routine. Three members would go in the morning before their schedules and three members would go at night after their schedules. The first five days were all mostly the same since the Littles were still trying to recover - both mentally and physically. After they had found out who these Littles are, the doctor had shown them a brain scan they did on the Littles. He informed them that the first week they may be at an age younger than their average headspace range because (according to the tests) they hadn't slipped into their headspace for a while. So, the first five days, their visits consisted of watching the Littles sleep or see one of them awake for a couple of minutes before they dozed off again.

On the sixth day, it was different.

They were  _ both _ awake. 

Seonghwa, Jongho, and Mingi had gone that morning together. Seonghwa's heart had skipped a beat when they were down the hall and could already hear extremely loud wails coming from the hospital room they were getting all too familiar with. The boys hurried to the room when they suddenly saw the most heartbreaking scene.

Wooyoung was sitting up in his crib, crying at the top of his lungs, and Yeosang was laying on his side in his own crib with fingers trying to go between the white bars of his crib, but crying as he failed to pass through them. He was trying to go to Wooyoung so he could...comfort him?

"Hyung? What do we do?" Jongho panicked, suddenly overwhelmed at having _two_ extremely loud wails bouncing off the hospital room.

Seonghwa didn't say anything as his eyes flickered from Wooyoung to Yeosang and then back. 

Mingi seemed like he couldn't handle seeing them cry anymore so he began walking over to pick up Wooyoung when Seonghwa rose up a finger with a, "Wait."

Seonghwa walked over to Yeosang and picked him up first, which confused the two members because Wooyoung seemed to be more in distress. He bounced the baby for a couple of seconds before he finally walked over to stand in front of Wooyoung's crib. Just like magic, the two of them stopped sobbing and they hiccuped once they were close to each other. Yeosang squirmed in Seonghwa's arms and outstretched his hands to signal that he wanted to be put down next to Wooyoung. Seonghwa smiled and complied, setting Yeosang inside Wooyoung's crib. Immediately, Wooyoung latched onto Yeosang and he tucked his face into Yeosang's chest. 

"You two just wanted to cuddle together, huh?" Seonghwa softly cooed as he brought the blanket over their bodies.

They both laid down and they cuddled each other as they sniffed their tears away. Yeosang's nose nuzzled into Wooyoung's hair and Wooyoung's nose nuzzled into Yeosang's collar. Now satisfied at being in each other's arms, they both fell asleep once again. The crib wasn't made for two Littles but since the two were fairly small they made it work. The two slept so peacefully, like they were on clouds.

"Woah, hyung. You're so cool." Jongho was at awe after seeing how Seonghwa worked.

The caregiver smiled and shook his head. He was just glad the two Littles were happy at being together again.

Hongjoong, San, and Yunho went to visit the Littles together on the ninth night. The Littles were starting to awake more during their visits which they were very happy about. Yesterday, Yeosang had seemed very interested in a storybook Yunho had brought and read to him and the day before Wooyoung had allowed San to feed him a bottle without making much of a fuss despite all the nurses saying he hated them. 

Tonight, when they had arrived, the boys definitely knew the Littles felt much older than the first day they had arrived. It wasn't much, but the Littles were watching a cartoon on the room's TV that a nurse must have left on for them. Wooyoung would respond back to what the cartoon asked them but it was more just blabbers since none of them could understand a word he was saying. Yeosang wouldn't really make an effort to verbally respond but he would nod and shake his head every so often.

The two Littles had turned their attention on the three boys when they came in for a good three seconds before they were invested in the cartoon again. Hongjoong had smiled and didn't even mind it one bit. He wasn't sure if the Littles even understood or cared that they visited them every day. Maybe in their eyes, the boys were just another nurse that came and left, but again Hongjoong didn't mind. He was just glad to see them improving and becoming healthier.

Now, it was the twelfth day since the first day the Littles had come. The nurses had updated them that they were healing a lot quicker than they had planned, but nonetheless the doctor had advised them to stay a week more. The nurses personally predicted that they could stay longer because rumor had it that Social Services couldn't find any available Little's Centers with spaces for them. The gossip news was bittersweet, but they tried not to think much of it. They always had to remind themselves that they were visiting for the Littles' sake so they could be loved and happy, not for themselves.

All of them had to admit, the pain they will most likely get was still worth it. It was so beautiful to see Wooyoung's bruises slowly go away day by day. It was so beautiful to see Yeosang stop wincing altogether over time. Their faces were, slowly, but surely, starting to become like the headshots on their profiles. Yeosang had a cute button nose and Wooyoung had beautiful eyes. Honestly, they didn't think they could become any more adorable...until today.

The day they finally saw their smiles.

As usual, Seonghwa, Mingi, and Jongho made their way to the hospital early morning. They were all in a good mood despite it being eight in the morning. The sun was high and the weather wasn't too hot nor too cold. Seonghwa felt like the weather had just known it was going to be a good day too.

The three made their way down the hospital hallways that were no longer confusing as the first time. The boys were still smiling until they stopped in front of the hospital room and suddenly their smiles dropped. The boys froze in place at seeing no familiar black or brown hair occupying the cribs. There was nothing.

"Where are they? Did they take them?" Mingi panicked. Seonghwa didn't answer and stormed into the room, fear making his heart pump. No. No. No. They couldn't have taken them. They told them they would be staying the week. Even if they were planning to discharge them earlier, they would have been informed either way, _right?_

Panic ran through his veins and he felt like he was going to be sick. _Please, please, please, don't take them away-_

Seonghwa looked down at the cribs now that he was inside. He paused and did a double-take.

Brown. And Black. Brown and Black tuffs of hair sticking out from underneath the hospital bed covers. Like if they were...hiding.

Seonghwa smiled.

Jongho was about to speak again, still in panic outside, until Seonghwa put up his index finger over his smiling lips. Jongho and Mingi were confused but they finally stepped into the hospital room. Seonghwa pointed down to the cribs, and then to his ears. Mingi and Jongho frowned until they finally heard it.

Giggles.

Jongho smiled when he saw the bed covers shaking. "What? Where did everyone go?" He loudly said. Mingi smiled too when he finally caught along.

"Youngie? Sangie? Where are you? Are you under the crib?" Mingi played along as well.

_More giggles._

"Hmmm…" Seonghwa walked over to Wooyoung's crib. "Where on earth can they be-

" Pea' a boo!" Wooyoung suddenly threw the covers off his bed with the biggest smile on his face. He kneeled up on the crib and opened up his arms as if he were saying 'here I am!'

"Boo! Boo!" Yeosang joined along. He threw his covers off his head as well, his long brown messy over his head. Jongho and Ming, who were right next to him, gasped and clutched their hearts overdramatically. Yeosang giggled and sat on his knees as he flailed the bed covers around.

"Oh my, Youngie, you scared me!" Seonghwa humored the Little. Wooyoung seemed satisfied with the reaction because he broke down into giggles again. It was a beautiful sound, music to Seonghwa's ears.

" 'ug!" Wooyoung loudly exclaimed as he outstretched his arms. 

_Hug._ He wanted to hug Seonghwa to forgive him for scaring him.

Seonghwa gladly picked him up and Wooyoung hugged Seonghwa's neck with a smile still on his lips. Seonghwa tightly hugged him and only now did he realize how fast his heart was still pounding from before.

"You really scared me, baby." Seonghwa softly said. He closed his eyes and silently thanked God as he continued to hug Wooyoung with all his strength.

Seonghwa never wanted to let the Littles go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So when I first started writing this story, I didn't have a plan lol I just knew it was going to be a short story to satisfy my imagination. I think this story will be ending in a couple of chapters (?) and maybe I'll have a sequel or continuation of some sort as a different story afterwards ? I'm not sure yet but this story will definitely be ending soon as we're reaching the climax ~ Thank you to everyone who has stayed this far!! I really appreciate it :)


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday to my lovely baby, Yeosang! <3

Hongjoong wouldn’t have felt so helpless if he hadn’t tried. But he  _ had. _ He has brought the idea up to the managers - all different - and not one of them seemed too fond of the idea. How can he not feel so helpless?

_ “So, manager-nim, I noticed Seonghwa hasn’t really been feeling well lately.” Hongjoong nervously brought up the topic. He was sitting across from one of their managers at the building’s dining table. They were both having lunch together before he had to go to practice. _

_ “Really? Did he catch a fever?” The manager nonchalantly said as he ate. _

_ “Um...no. Not that type of sick. He hasn’t been feeling well because of his headspace.” Hongjoong looked down. He poked his noodles. “It’s hard for Seonghwa to sometimes go to the Little’s Center...do you think there will probably ever be a time where we can have a Little at home? I think it could be easier for him- for all of us. It’s not uncommon. There’s a lot of members with caregiver tendencies in our group and we wouldn’t be the only group that has Littles-”  _

_ “Hongjoong.” _

_ Hongjoong closed his mouth and his cheeks turned red when he realized he had been rambling. His manager was staring at him with a look. A look as if he was trying to figure out what Hongjoong was hiding behind his words. _

_ “First, to simply answer your question, I do believe that your group could have a Little at home.” The manager began. Hongjoong’s heart leaped and his eyes lit up. _

_ “-But, not now. Maybe in your 5th year? You should all prioritize your careers and schedules. For now, I think we can come up with an easier solution to help Seonghwa, don’t you think? I’ll try talking with the other staff to see if we can reduce some things from his schedule so he could visit.” The manager closed the conversation and went back to eating his noodles. _

_ Hongjoong’s heart deflated, his hope leaving with it. _

It’s not like the managers were the ones that had the power to allow it or not. Maybe if they weren’t his managers, they would have actually been excited at the idea of Littles. But, if Hongjoong couldn’t even convince at least  _ one _ manager then how could he convince their  _ CEO?  _ How was he supposed to convince him that he wants to adopt two Littles within the next week? Maybe less?

Hongjoong groaned and he slammed his head against his desk. _ Ouch. _

~~~

Wooyoung and Yeosang were improving so well with their health. They were now capable of moving freely without a whimper or pained face. Because of their healed state, the nurses informed them how active they have started to become and the boys definitely understood what they were talking about. Recently, the members have always found them bouncing in their cribs and when the members were there they begged for piggyback rides. Yunho was the one to blame for that one. 

Because of their activeness, the nurses had introduced them to the Little’s indoor playroom that the hospital had. It was a large room that held multiple areas to play for all the Littles staying on that floor. It reminded the boys of the playrooms they had at the Little’s Center. There was a big television in one corner with bean bags, a section with tables to color or draw, a big playmat next to buckets of a variety of toys, and an area that had many stuffed animals so a Little could grab. It looked like a Little heaven, so it came as a shock to everyone when the two little ones had a complete meltdown the second they were taken inside the room. Seonghwa, Mingi, and Jongho had accompanied them at the time, but even with their presence, the two babies cried their entire chest out. Yeosang refused to take his head out of the crook of Mingi’s head and Wooyoung had his nails digging into Seonghwa’s back. There were other Littles (about seven) in the room that stared at them that had faces wondering why they were crying. Seonghwa wished he knew the answer too. The two had cried until the nurses gave up (and some of the younger Littles there were starting to get cranky with the noise), so the members took them back to their room. 

“Do you guys think they freaked out because it looks like the Little’s Center?” Jongho had finally asked once the Littles had fallen asleep, the two exhausted from the tears.

Seonghwa and Mingi had stared over at Jongho with wide eyes. Neither of them had made that connection, but it seemed plausible. Why else would they have such a harsh reaction? Being put in an area with a lot of other Littles must have overwhelmed them too. Seonghwa made sure that he would tell the night group to never take the Littles to the playroom.

Now, fifteen days since the first day, Hongjoong, Yunho, and San were going to the hospital just like every day. The three arrived at the hospital room to find the boys giggling at each other. The nurses had put both of them in Yeosang’s crib and currently, Wooyoung was trying to make his stuffed sheep kiss Yeosang’s cheeks as he laid on top of him. Yeosang was giggling and pulling his face away until he spotted San walking in first from the corner of his eye. He made a small excited noise before he pointed towards the members coming in. Wooyoung turned around and quickly gasped at seeing the boys. He sat on his knees and made a small excited blabber noise as he raised his sheep up to them.

“Oh? Does your Sheep want to give kisses?” San quickly ran over to the two, always excited to visit. He lowered his head to the height the sheep was being held and Wooyoung lit up when he realized the other was letting him be kissed. Wooyoung pushed his sheep’s mouth to San with a ‘muah!’ and giggled at his own action.

“Ahh, stop being cute for once. It hurts!” Yunho said as he went over to stand next to San. Hongjoong chuckled, internally agreeing as he went over to join them.

Yeosang sat on his knees and went to sit up next to Wooyoung. Timidly, he stretched forward and pulled on Hongjoong’s sleeve. The caregiver looked towards the baby and saw the Little smiling. He blabbered incoherently before he pointed to San and then to the sheep.

Hongjoong tilted his head. “What’s wrong, honey? You want the sheep?” 

Yeosang whined and shook his head. He pointed at Hongjoong and then to his own cheek. Hongjoong’s eyes widened for a second before he broke out into a huge smile.

“Oh, you want kisses, too? Huh?” Hongjoong scrunched his nose playfully and tickled Yeosang’s side for a second. The Little squealed and giggled before he nodded with the biggest smile. Gladly, Hongjoong bent to Yeosang’s height and left multiple playful kisses on the Little. On his cheeks, on his nose, and on his eyes until Yeosang was a giggling mess and laying down on the crib again.

“Me! Me! Me!” Wooyoung bounced on his knees and pulled on Yunho’s sleeve. You didn’t have to tell Yunho twice and soon both Wooyoung and Yeosang were laughing.

Hongjoong watched as Yeosang eventually sat up again and outstretched his arms. Yunho reacted quicker than San (San pouted) and happily picked him up from the crib before he gave him his daily piggyback ride. Yeosang laughed and hugged Yunho’s neck as the other made silly noises. San, not being able to help himself, picked up Wooyoung but the Little didn’t seem to mind at all. Wooyoung simply smiled and pulled on San’s long strands of hair. He laughed when San began making faces at him and blabbered every so often.

“Alright, Yunho, put him down before he starts getting dizzy.” Hongjoong said as he sat down on the couch in front of the hospital’s window. Despite his scolding tone, he couldn’t help but smile at seeing Yeosang having so much fun. The members have been extremely careful with him for the last two weeks because of the bandages he previously had. Hongjoong continued to stare at the two until Yeosang yawned and he slowly blinked.

“Baby’s tired.” San cooed from his spot. He still had Wooyoung in his arms, but the Little still seemed like he had energy, unlike Yeosang.

Hongjoong was about to open his mouth and tell Yunho to put Yeosang back in his crib when suddenly the Little whimpered and outstretched his hands towards Hongjoong. The leader was taken aback at the action.

Yunho chuckled. “The baby wants his Daddy.” He mumbled and passed Yeosang over to the leader.

Hongjoong didn’t have time to say something about the comment before Yeosang was in his arms. The Little adjusted himself so he could be cradled in Hongjoong's lap (the others had made the conclusion long ago that it was his favorite way to be held) and dug his nose into Hongjoong’s chest. He brought up his thumb to his mouth, but thankfully Yunho was already one step ahead and slipped a pacifier into his mouth before his thumb could reach it.

Yunho walked away to help entertain Wooyoung. Hongjoong silently smiled and watched as Yeosang slowly succumbed to slumber. Hongjoong couldn’t help but think back of their visit and feel his heart swell at how proud he was of Yeosang. Just five days ago, Yeosang wouldn’t even make a single noise at them and he always seemed cautious before he did anything. Now, not only did he ask for a piggyback ride, but he asked to be held and asked for  _ kisses.  _

Hongjoong looked up when he heard Wooyoung laugh because Yunho began to tickle him. Both of them have improved so much.

Wooyoung and Yeosang didn’t need a playroom full of toys. Just the members playing with them in their room equaled more than ten playrooms combined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update but I graduated yesterday! :D I hope you guys enjoyed this small chapter that was more of a filler because we didn't get much Hongjoong, Yunho, and San in the last chapter. Thank you so much for the lovely and supportive comments in the last chapter too. Please don't be sad because I will definitely be continuing the universe of this story once this story is over. Thank you again!


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